Alice in Wonderland AU
by Noella50881
Summary: Alice falls through the rabbit hole and horror awaits. AU story.
1. Chapter 1

Alice chased a rabbit down a rabbit hole. It was running late. Late and babbling incoherently that Alice couldn't hear very well. Just the simple saying of "Late." So, Alice followed the rabbit. She looked down into the darkness, where the rabbit had disappeared into. Squinting, she couldn't see the white rabbit. It was swallowed up. Alice leaned further and fell into the rabbit hole. She slid down on her stomach, on the tunnel's wall. Then the wall ended. Alice now fell further into the darkness. What seemed like minutes, seemed like hours to her. She felt herself flipping over and over, until it seemed that gravity had finally met her. She saw books. Shelves of books, their spines, barely readable. They were all covered in a thick layer of dust.

Down and down she went,  
Where she stopped, no one knew.

The dust was everywhere, clinging to her. Nearly making it impossible to breathe, she gasped.

"Plooof." Something soft and squishy was beneath her. It seemed like it was breathing! Alice lay there, breathing in stale air, listening. What was this breathing thing? Alice sat up, trying to see what she had landed on. Her eyes were adjusted so the thing she had dropped on was a giant 'cat'? It was looking at her with yellow eyes and a wicked grin on his face. Alice stumbled around the soft squishy surface in time to see a paw come into focus. It knocked her around, as if a play thing...and she fell. It was treating her like a toy. Alice scrambled on her four legs, trying to find the ground! Then she fell off the 'cat bed'. (Cheshire Cat) She landed on the floor now, seeing that everything was small and she was big! The cat bed was above her, the glowing eyes looking at her.

Should Alice stay because the cat didn't hurt her? Or should she find a way out of this place. Suddenly, she heard a scream and turned to look around. Her eyes saw a door knob. It was strange, and where a keyhole should be, she saw a small mouth lined with sharp teeth. "Oh dear." She said.

"Oh dear?" Someone said.

Alice heard a voice and turned to look. The cat was still there. "Why don't you stay here and be my new cat toy?" Alice knew that most cat toys would be damaged in the end. It would kill her, wouldn't it?

"Why? What's out there?" Alice inquired.

"Your worst nightmares. I wouldn't go out there if I were you. Stay in here."

Alice wanted nothing more than to go home. "I'm following a white rabbit. He has to be here,"

"Forget him. He's not as good as me."

"Then who should I meet other than you? I want to go home?"

"The only way home is to talk to a smoking caterpillar."


	2. Chapter 2

Alice had to make a decision to find the caterpillar or be stuck here for a long time. She was looking at the door. It was her size, but how would she open the door if the lock had teeth? Was she to lose a finger? That would be detrimental. "What must one do to open the door?"

"You can either feed it with a finger or use a key." the cat sounded amused. "Why would you risk going out to the nightmarish land of Wonderland? You must be crazy as they are."

"Well, to find the caterpillar, I must!" Alice said, turning to the cat. "I most certainly couldn't stay here."

"The only piece of advice I can offer you is to stay away from that rabbit and the queen."

"Why?"

"They are your own worst enemy."

A silver key drifted down from the cat's paw. "Do be careful, Miss Alice."

Alice reached out for the key and grasped it. It looked like a severed finger, only cast in silver. "Is there anything else I should be aware of?"

"Stay clear of the pepper cook."

Alice nodded and inserted the key into the key hole. The silver turned into a finger, and blood oozed from the keyhole. Alice recoiled with shock and horror. The lock clicked and Alice opened the door. Beyond the door was a place that seemed innocent enough. "Are you sure this is the place of nightmares?"

"Yes. There's a dark side to Wonderland. You'll see soon enough." The cat said. "What seems like an ordinary forest, is a forest full of evil characters."

Alice didn't doubt that for she knew she would have to leave this place and the sooner the better. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it. Oh...The Hatter is safe. So, if you find him, he'll protect you and he has the only tea and crumpets that are not tainted or poisoned. Eat no cakes. Eat no cookies. Eat no brownies unless it's from him."

Alice nodded again. "Thanks again."

Stepping through the door, Alice looked around, seeing big trees and a single path. Should she stay on the path? Or stray? That seemed foolish to stray off the path. When she turned around, the door way was gone. She was surrounded by woods. She didn't hear any frightening screams, nor did she hear any odd sounds. There were birds, and insects. Clearly, not a nightmarish place in the sunlight. She decided to keep to the path and see where it led her. "Stay away from the white rabbit and queen. Find the caterpillar and stay with the Hatter. Sounds like an easy plan to me." Alice told herself as she walked up the path.


	3. Chapter 3

As Alice walked up the path, she saw paw tracks which meant the rabbit had traveled up the path. She saw a house to the right. The paw tracks led to it. Remembering the cat's warning about confronting the rabbit, it was inadvisable and dangerous. But a compelling curiosity was flooding through her. Alice did want to go to the house and look inside. The warning, entirely forgotten, she headed to the house.

Upon closer inspection, the house was a white clapboard house with red shutters on every window. The house was a two story. Every window had curtains, and for a moment, Alice thought the cat had to be mistaken. The rabbit wasn't home, was he? There were paw tracks, leading into the house. Then another set was gone. "It's just a quaint little house." Alice mumbled to herself. "How can a small innocent rabbit be a murderer?" She slowly started up the stairs. She walked up to the door and looked in a little window. It wasn't dark and eerie. Alice reached out for the door and twisted the knob. She opened the door and peered into the house. Walking slowly into the house, there was a living room to the left and a study to the right. A set of stairs was in front of her. Where was the kitchen? Perhaps through the living room. Alice crept slowly into the living room. She saw the clean kitchen and immaculate table. This was the house of the murderous rabbit?

"Ah-ha! There you are! Fetch me my gloves! At once!" Alice jumped and thought for a moment that he was mistaken. "At once! Now!"

Alice ran upstairs, searching through the rooms. She saw a room with a four poster bed. The thing is? The room was set for a girl like her. She blinked.

"Little girl! I'm running late! You had better get those gloves!"

Alice shook herself. She just had to get the gloves and then leave. He mistook her for his servant? Alice left the room and went into another room. She found his gloves in a drawer and took them to him.

Alice watched him pull them on and it happened so fast that Alice couldn't react in time to see something flashing and then she fell to the floor, unconscious. But she could hear. "I don't tolerate disobedience. We shall fix that when I return from my feast." Then the rabbit dragged her to the room and tucked her into bed. Then he left, locking the door behind him. "We shall talk and you will learn." Alice felt herself floating into an abyss


	4. Chapter 4

Alice smelled something cooking and thought she was at home. Feeling, the pillow, the softness of the bed, made her want to drift back to sleep. It was so comforting and homely. Safe. But a lingering headache made her wish she was asleep again.

The room was dark, shadows all around. It meant that it was night. How long was she asleep? Feast? What feast was that? Her? Someone else? Her memories were bits and pieces. Her body was exhausted, too exhausted, as if under a spell of some kind. Her body felt heavy, so she couldn't move. Paralyzed. Maybe she was still asleep.

However, that feeling of heaviness started to affect her eyes. She started to drift asleep again..The lovely abyss calling to her again. It was a drug. It had to be. Her mouth and tongue felt heavy. "Mrmr.." She slurred. "Mrrmr."

Alice closed her eyes as her thoughts were jumbled and confusing. She soon slipped back into sleep.

When she opened her eyes a few minutes later and the room was now dimly lit with a few candles. A look out the window, revealed, she had slept for a while and probably for the whole day, Alice urged herself to wakefulness and sat up in the bed. It wasn't her bed! It wasn't even her room. Then the realization hit her. She was stuck in the white rabbit's house?! In a room made up just for her! But why?

Alice got out of bed, and noticed that there was something wrong with her clothes. They had been changed to a pretty pink nightgown. Her feet were bare and she hurriedly looked for her clothes. She didn't want to stay here!

"Going somewhere, sweetheart?" A voice called from the doorframe. "I think we have established that you belong here with me."

Alice spun around. "You need to let me go."

The rabbit stood there, "Why would I let you go? You're fun."

"Because you- are dangerous?"

"No more dangerous than the Cheshire Cat that vowed to keep you as his toy. He lies."

"Well, why did- you knock me out?"

"To have you taken to your new room without a fight." The rabbit was sounding calm, collected, and cool. "Do you like your night gown? I think it looks better on you."

"I don't- " Alice trailed off, thinking if she disagreed with him, she would wind up back in bed, dosed with whatever drug that he had given to her to make her sleep.

"You don't what?" The rabbit asked, still in that calm voice, that would sooner than later turn icy. "Like what I had made just for you?"

"Oh. I like it." Alice said, trying to sound convincing. "I like pink. And it even fits me too."

"Oh good. Good girl. I've been expecting you. I am sure that you would like it here."

"I know I will." She had to pretend she liked it there. "It's better than- I had thought!" She said, exuberantly. "Can I go to the bathroom and freshen up, please? I feel like I've slept a long time."

"Of course you can, but I wouldn't try to escape, sweetheart."

"I won't." Alice would have to bide her time.


	5. Chapter 5

Alice's thoughts were of how to escape the house. There had to be some way to get the rabbit to let her go. She still had a chance to leave through the window. But, second story wasn't good. Unless there was a trellis. Then she could climb down and then flee from the bedroom. Every instinct was telling her to run, but if she ran, she'd run into some creature that she had no knowledge of. Her imagination left much to be desired.

Alice was hungry, but the cat's warning rang true. If the food was poisoned, the rabbit wouldn't be eating it, too. The food was in front of her, and she hadn't seen him scoop out meat and vegetables for her.

"I don't eat meat." She says. "If you don't mind, I'll go out to the garden and grab some vegetables." She had seen a garden and that would give her a chance to flee from there, instead.

The rabbit stared at her. "You're human. How can you not eat and like meat?"

"I never developed a taste." She said. "It's fatty..and not good for you."

"Mhm. You need fattening up."

"Why? I look good this way."

"You need to eat."

"If I cannot pick my own vegetables, then I'm willing to starve."

"You will not." The rabbit said, sharply.

"I just don't eat meat. Never have. Never will. I'll happily eat what you're eating."

Alice was trying to be civil and not letting him know she was onto him. She was smiling one of her best smiles to reassure the rabbit she wasn't up to anything brash. "Please?"

"Fine. Eat your vegetables."

Alice reached for the green salad and took some from the bowl. Safer to be alive one more night. She put some on a new plate near her and started to eat.

"Why do you keep me here?" She asked. "Now?"

"Whatever that cat told you is false."

"So, you're not a homicidal murderer?"

"Of course not."

"That's a lot to be considered. You kind of 'knocked me out and drugged me for hours?"

"So that the queen doesn't find you. She was here while you were asleep. Consider me a friend and not a foe. I would keep you until the next morning. I don't intend to kill my guests."

"Unless they try to escape?"

"Exactly. Then you wouldn't be a guest. You'd be a victim to my homicidal tendencies. It's rare that a guest would think of such things." The rabbit took a sip of tea. "You have to consider I saved your life and I could also take it with a snap of my fingers. I could poison your tea at will, but I won't. Make no mistake, when you were asleep, you looked so cute. I wished I could keep you. As a pet." He added. "Something to cherish and teach right from wrong."

"I can't stay." Alice was sure she couldn't. "I don't belong here."

"Oh? You do if you're mad. We're mad here. Crazy in fact."

"Even you?"

"Yes. Of course. I'm mad. Stark raving mad. But I won't scare a child."


	6. Chapter 6

A few days pass and Alice has yet to leave the rabbit's house. She knew she had to gain the rabbit's trust in order for her to leave the house. If she wasn't careful, the rabbit would do something to her. The rabbit had brought toys, books, and coloring books to occupy her time there. She noticed that the books were all hers and were from her room. How did he get into her room at home? It meant that the rabbit may have planned this for a long time. Her toys were also from home, meant to bring her happiness while she was in her captivity. Alice colored in all of the coloring books. There was nothing left to do, except pace or read the same books over again. Which she did, some of the time until he came to her.

That night, dinner was root vegetables and mushrooms. The rabbit was eating his and she was eating hers. She had realized the rabbit wasn't trying to hurt her, but fatten her up? For what?

"Do you mind if I take a walk outside tomorrow? I've been good." Alice asked, hoping not to sound too demanding.

"We'll see."

That was always his answer. "What if I help you in the garden? I can weed for you? I'd do anything to go out and breathe in fresh air and get some sun." Alice started to tell him about how bad it would be for her to be cooped up in the house every single day. "I won't leave the property." Alice finished.

"We'll see. Eat your soup."


End file.
